Several individuals from south Logan County appeared in fiscal court Tuesday, along with professor Kit Wesler of Murray State University and Marisa Christy of the Mammoth Cave RC&D to talk about Savage Cave, which is located near Adairville.
The cave, named after it’s one-time owner, Genevieve Savage has been in the care of Murray State University since 1983 when it was donated to them by the Archaeological Conservancy headquartered in Santa Fe, N.M., with the approval of Mrs. Savage who donated the cave to the conservatory in 1980. Savage had purchased the cave in 1965 and embarked on a 28-year-long crusade until her death to gather interest in her cave, which turned out to be a national treasure of historical significance.
The cave was in danger of being destroyed when the civil defense wanted to turn it into a fallout shelter in the 1960s, according to an interview with Mrs. Savage in a 1982 Courier Journal article. Mrs. Savage convinced the owners of the property not to allow the civil defense to use the cave and she bought it for $1.
In recent months, the university has shown interest in turning over the deed to the cave free of charge to the county saying it cannot protect the cave’s integrity being so far away. Over the years there have been several cases of vandalism in attempts to steal artifacts from the cave. There is currently a chain link fence at the mouth of the cave; however, Murray State University admits they cannot monitor the cave as well as someone on the local level can.
“This is something that needs to be preserved. It’s nothing against Murray but they have owned it for 30 years and it has been vandalized over and over,” said Wayne Stratton, who believes the Adairville Historical Society could do better at protecting the cave. Stratton, a former Logan County Magistrate, is one of the committee members seeking the deed to the county and has been working diligently at the cave site to help keep out unauthorized visits.
The cave is located in the southern end of the county and the Adairville Historical Society is very interested in becoming the caretakers of the cave. The University cannot give the cave to a board, thus leaving out the Adairville Society, but they can give it to a county entity who in turn could lease it to the Society to take care of.
The cave has been studied by several prominent archeologists such as the renowned Dr. Louis S.B. Leaky and Dr. Carl F. Miller, formerly of the Smithsonian Institute, who said, “Savage Cave has the greatest potential of finding Paleolithic man on the North American Continent.” The Paleolithic era covers the period before the last ice age, sometime before 10,000 B.C. The deposits in the cave span at least 12,000 years, it is one of the moist significant prehistoric sites in the eastern United States.
“This is a very significant site even with the disturbances. It has a great deal of scientific integrity in it and it needs more protection,” said Wesler.
Adairville councilwoman Donna Blake and Adairville Historical Society’s Dick Dickerson, are also working on the committee to bring about the deal. They all believe the cave will be a great asset to the county as a whole.
“I would like for the county to take back the cave. This is a great opportunity and will be a great asset,” said Dickerson.
Stratton told the court Tuesday that he wasn’t there that day asking for money only that the court express interest in the possibility of taking over the deed. This would then allow the university to enter into serious discussion with the county on what would be expected from the exchange, such as coming up with a management plan similar to what Murray State has had for the cave over the years. Stratton said there was tons of funding options out there that could be sought but first cave ownership would need to be transferred out of the University’s name to apply.
A very large gate will most likely have to be purchased to put over the entrance to keep intruders out. The gate could cost $40,000, but Stratton and Mammoth Cave’s Christy, agreed that money probably could be found through grants.
“I hope I don’t have to come back and ask you all for money,” said Stratton.
Magistrate Jo Orange was concerned about the cost of liability insurance that the county would have to pay if they owned the cave. She said that even though the cave might be a “diamond in the rough” she felt the Adairville Historical Society would be back asking for funding in the future.
Orange had said in a previous court meeting when the cave was discussed that it sounded very interesting; however, she questioned the age of the cave saying they say it is older than she feels the earth is and that you can’t believe everything you hear.
Magistrate Jack Crossley is very interested in the cave and would like to see the county look into the offer more. Crossley made a motion to proceed with an intent of interest in the ownership of the cave. His motion passed with Magistrates Curtis Watkins, Drexel Johnson and Thomas Bouldin voting with him and Magistrate Orange voting no. Judge/Executive Logan Chick voted with Crossley, but reiterated that he only wanted the county to act as a vehicle to allow the Adairville Historical Society to financial manage the cave.
Magistrate Bouldin said he was for preserving the cave and had no problem moving forward having the county act as a vehicle; however, he did not want the county to become the financial arm of the project. “We can be the wheel and help apply for funding,” said Bouldin.
Professor Wesler said he will now take the court’s interest back to the university, who will then open communications up with the county. While Judge Chick will continue to gather insurance information.
According to Stratton, the cave will not only be an educational tool, but can also be an economic asset but admitted it’s preservation was the top priority. “If there is not a dollar earned from this the preservation of this spot is worth it,” he said.
Source: News Democrat Leader
